Memories of the Challenger explosion from our readers

We asked our readers for their memories of the Challenger explosion, and we were overwhelmed with the responses. Here's just a sampling of the memories readers mailed, e-mailed, faxed and called in.

Bus Driver witnessed explosion on field trip

I am a retired school bus driver of 34 years with Volusia County. I remember taking some Volusia County students on a field trip, and they were taking a state science competition test, and they did not want to tell the students about the Challenger explosion until after their test.

When they came back to the school bus, they were so upset. I was watching the launch outside the school bus when the explosion happen and I thought about all those students who knew the teacher who was on board the Challenger.

I will never forget where I was when it happened.

-- Louise F. Fink

Toddler saw first launch

I was four years old. It was the first shuttle launch that I would see. My mom, uncles and I stood on the beach in Daytona. We were laughing and having a good time. Someone had a radio on by us, and we could hear the count down. 3...2...1 get ready! Joy! Here it comes my mother said to me. My uncle picked me up and put me on his shoulders.

All of a sudden I jumped in fright as a loud gasp came over the crowd. I did not know what happened. All of a sudden, my mother started to cry. As I looked at the clouds they were in the shape of Big Bird from "Sesame Street." "Big Bird!" I shouted to my mom.

We stood there for about three minutes as my mom and uncles were in disbelief. When we got home, my mom turned on the news and I remember it being a very quiet day in our house.

-- Joy Burd, Daytona Beach

Firefighter looked forward to launch

Sadly, the Challenger disaster and deaths of the six astronauts along with the death of the first teacher scheduled to go into space, Christa McAuliffe, are forever burned into my memory. Along with the memory of the deaths of the Kennedy brothers, Dr. Martin Luther King and the 911 tragedies. Like most enthusiastic followers of the space program on that Tuesday morning, I was looking forward to seeing another successful launch.

I was working that day at the Mason Avenue fire station, and several firefighters and myself were sitting on the tailboard of a firetruck staring at the southern skies. I had only lived in Florida for three years at that time and had not experienced as many space launches as my co-workers. I can remember looking at their faces for answers as we all saw what obviously was a launch that had definitely gone wrong.

As soon as we saw what was going on in the skies above the Kennedy Space Center, we all moved inside to find answers from the television news teams that were covering the launch. During the years that followed, I could not look at the spot where the five of us watched that launch and not remember what we had all witnessed that day.

-- John M. King, Port Orange

Pilot wasn't far from tears

The Challenger tragedy is one of four occasions that are vivid in my memory. The others are the death of Franklin Roosevelt (I was 12), of John F. Kennedy and, of course, 9/11.

On that morning, I, as a pilot with USAir, was flying a DC-9 flight from Montreal to New York's LaGuardia Airport. We were descending over Westchester County, about 10 minutes from landing, when we received the news from the air traffic controller with whom we were communicating.

After consulting with my co-pilot, I decided to pass the information on to our passengers, informing them that the Challenger had exploded 70 seconds after lift off. As I stood in the cockpit doorway while they were exiting, I received a few, "Thank Yous", and saw many tearful eyes. I wasn't very far from it myself.

-- C.V. "Vince" Sbardella, Daytona Beach

Teacher and students saw explosion

That particular Jan. 28 had special meaning to me. I had been a lifelong supporter and student of the Space Race beginning with the suborbital hops to lunar missions, Skylab and shuttle flights. When the Teacher in Space program was announced, I sent for my application being a teacher for almost 10 years at that time. It was also my birthday.

With the countdown reaching zero, I took my 6th grade class outside to watch. With the plumes of the explosion in the sky, I sensed something wrong and took my class back in to watch on television. It was a day many of them will not forget.

I still have that application to remind me of the dedication of not just the men and women who train to be professional astronauts, but those teachers who also strive for that extra something so their students "reach for the stars."

-- Timothy John Hilderbrandt

Comforted by family

Our family was living in Concord, NH, at the time, home of Christa McAuliffe. From the moment NASA selected Christa as the winner of the Teacher In Space competition, she was a celebrity. She became dear to all of us, was given a hometown parade, was constantly asked to give television and radio interviews, and there was a constant flow of newspaper articles about her and her family. We all felt very close to her.

Christa loved teaching at Concord High School and wanted students to believe that if she could reach for the stars so could they

That awful day, our family and the nation watched in horror and shed tears at the sight. We took our sons, nine and thirteen on a cold, bitter January night to the State House Plaza, to grieve and gain comfort from the thousands of others in attendance. The prayers and speeches began. The crowd grew quiet and people cried. The church bells rang seven times for the seven astronauts. Then seven balloons, six black, one white drifted into the night sky and disappeared.

-- Gail Besaw, Port Orange

Assistant stunned at news

On Jan 28, 1986, I was the assistant media specialist at Holly Hill Elementary School. That morning, I was busy photocopying and delivering to classrooms the material for the Teacher in Space lessons. As I was returning from lunch (pretty early in elementary school), I heard a commotion and heard people saying the shuttle had exploded. I was stunned and rushed into the media center to the media room where we had a television with access to local stations.

Teachers were coming in and we watched in horror as the video was re-played over and over. "Go at throttle up," then boom!

Many of the teachers and aides had family who worked at KSC. It was like a family tragedy. We were all nearly speechless. Some sixth graders who had been watching outside were sure they had seen the cabin continue on rather than falling into the sea. Of course, we learned they were mistaken.

Later that day, I remember a little first grade girl bringing the Teacher in Space papers back to me and saying sadly, " I guess we won't need these anymore."

-- Sarah A. Webster

Remembering the Challenger

The day of the Challenger misfortune will remain with me forever. I was waiting my turn in the management barbershop at Chrysler (For those who knew him, Robert Lutz our VP at the time was in the chair). The TV was on and all of a sudden Walter Cronkite came on with live broadcast of the Challenger. I remember him hoping that parachutes would appear. In fact, as I remember it, he did indicate that there appears to be a parachute or two showing up. I knew that was not possible as much as I had hoped that parachutes were possible.

For some of my background, I worked with Chrysler at the Cape during the Apollo missions. We were on duty the night of January 1968 when fire erupted in the command module killing three astronauts during a live countdown test. Another January.

-- Jim Buttery, Ormond Beach

Islander worker hoped for rescue

I was working at the Islander in New Smyrna Beach at the time of the Challenger disaster, and a group of us went to the roof to view the launch. I can remember watching the odd vapor trails and thinking 'they must be doing something new with this trip.' But the longer we watched, the more it became apparent that something had gone horribly wrong.

After getting to a TV, I remember waiting to hear the astronauts had been rescued. Later that day, when we realized there would be no rescue, I remember a horrible feeling of loss; not only the loss of lives, but also the realization that this could happen and NASA had no plan for rescue.

I was in high school when Kennedy was assassinated, and the feeling that we had lost something greater than ourselves as a nation was very much the same.

-- Marilyn Hereford, New Smyrna

Explosion still in her mind

On that Tuesday morning I watched the Challenger lift off from the highest point on the property of Sugar Mill Country Club in New Smyrna Beach.

After lift off, we continued watching the trail in the sky expecting to see separation soon. Instead we saw something and I knew I wasn't looking high enough in the sky for it to be separation. Almost at the same time, I came to this realization a lady who had her TV on shouted from a nearby doorway, "It exploded." The next thing we saw was parachutes floating down. A cheer went up from those watching with me. I guess we thought the astronauts had escaped as from an airplane. That only lasted a few seconds until we realized the parachutes were a recovery mission.

Later that afternoon, driving south on 95 toward the Orlando airport, the sight of the sun on the motionless clouds left an eerie feeling. It looked like immediately after a big fireworks display and remained hours later. From Orlando, I flew to Chicago and people were all talking about the Challenger.

The following day, I flew to Phoenix and everyone was still talking about it. I was the only one on that plane who had witnessed the Challenger explode.

On Thursday, January 30, two days after the Challenger, my mother died in Phoenix. Four years later, on January 28, 1990, my father died. My memories of the Challenger exploding are very clear in my mind and are tied together forever with the deaths of both of my parents.

-- Oliver Vandagriff, Ormond Beach

Loss and despair

This is one of those things that you never forget, know what you were doing and remember where you were at the moment of the Challenger disaster. I remember Challenger.

Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986 was a cold day and a clear blue sky morning. I was watching the shuttle launch on TV that morning as many of us were. As I live in DeLand, I could see the shuttle launches, so I stepped out my front door to watch the Challenger launch at 11:39 AM.

I was listening to the TV and watching for the shuttle to clear above my neighbor's roof. A minute or so after the launch I was able to see the Challenger and then noticed that something did not look right. It appeared as though something had happened with the solid rocket boosters as they were flying off, fully ignited, at odd angles and did not deploy as I had seen in the past.

I stepped back to my front door and checked the televised launch coverage while still watching the actual shuttle. I was shocked and horrified to see the shuttle explode and could not believe what I was seeing.

I wondered if there was any way the crew could have survived this horrific explosion but had doubts. I remember having feelings of great loss and despair for the shuttle crew, their families and America. I had grown up watching the Gemini and Apollo launches and so followed the shuttle launches as America progressed along in space exploration.

Four hours later that same day I had to go to work in Daytona and so crossed along U.S. Hwy 92 from DeLand to Daytona. I still remember the sky being clear blue with not a cloud in it, but it still held the sad remnants of the vapor trail from the shuttle launch.

-- Robert A. Dea, DeLand

NASA employees witness launch

Both my wife and I are retired NASA Kennedy Space Center employees. We were at work at KSC on that horrific day. Like the rest of Americans and the world, we were shocked, stunned and devastated when we witnessed Challenger explode over the space coast. We still remember the loud speaker announcing that the launch was going well, however the explosion had already occurred.

Seconds later, the voice on the loudspeaker said something was wrong. Needless to say, none of us believed what we had just seen. When we returned to our offices, no one spoke. I kept looking outside my office window, and stared at my office wall.

NASA did not send workers home, however, no work was done that day. It is truly a sad memory in our lives.

-- Rene E. Paquette, Ponce Inlet

Kids cheer for Challenger

On January 28, 1986, central New York, where I lived, woke up to a snowstorm that caused all schools to be closed. Since I was not working that day, my family room became the day-care center for the neighborhood children of working parents. We spent the morning talking and drawing pictures about space.

At the designated time, we sat in front of the TV waiting for the big event. The room became a madhouse as the kids cheered when the Challenger went off. I realized all too soon what had happened. My first thought was "Now what do I say!" Luckily the children were not old enough to grasp what had happened and spent the rest of the day saying that the Challenger went "Boom."

Like every major event, good or bad, I knew exactly where I was at that moment.

-- Mary Jo Bilzor, Edgewater

Greek station shows live news

I remember the date the Challenger disaster happened. I was stationed with the U.S. Air Force at Hellenikon Air Base, Athens Greece. It was the early evening and the neighbors from upstairs came down and said turn on the TV, something had happened. We did and saw the news of the Challenger exploding, they showed the image over and over and it was very disturbing to watch.

We did not normally get live news from the Greek stations and this was the one time we were shown something happening in real time.

-- Thomas Hinson, Deltona

Teacher reminisces about fifth grade

It was a very cold January morning and I was 10 years old in the fifth grade at Osceola Elementary in Ormond Beach. My teacher was Ms. Vaughn and my entire class (along with our whole school) was standing outside facing southeast awaiting the Challenger and the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe.

It is important to note that our school watched many space flights from our school grounds and they were always very exciting. I was standing next to one of my best friends at the time, David Conte. Ms. Vaughn hushed our class and said, "Be quiet, history was being made by a teacher."

Briefly into the flight, we all witnessed the explosion high in the sky. Teachers gasped and students looked confused. Ms. Vaughn quickly brought us back into our classroom and turned on our TV. Other teachers came into our room and spoke to our teacher, and I remember watching Ms. Vaughn sob uncontrollably.

She asked us to put our heads down and she turned off the lights.

I am now a fifth grade teacher at Pathways Elementary in Ormond Beach and have been teaching fifth grade for the past 11 years. When we study space, I am always able to share with my 10-year-old students my firsthand account of the Challenger explosion when I was sitting in their seats as a fifth grader.

Several years ago I went to Ms. Vaughn's retirement party and reminisced about being in her fifth-grade class, a year I will never forget.

-- Troy Kent, Ormond Beach

Challenger Astronaut spoke at Embry-Riddle

When I first came to Embry-Riddle in 1978 as a physics professor, I was excited about our proximity to the Space Center. Having always been a space nut, I was very interested in the manned space program. I contacted the astronaut program in an attempt to arrange for a speaker to come to Embry-Riddle. Keep in mind that the first space shuttle had not flown (Columbia was launched April 12, 1981) but future shuttle pilots were in training. NASA arranged for Major Francis R. (Dick) Scobee to speak at Embry-Riddle on February 28, 1980.

During our discussions on the day he spent at Embry-Riddle, I remember a conversation unreliable people having to count on others in so many projects. Scobee told me, "You have to surround yourself by people you can count on." Scobee flew his first Space Shuttle mission STS-41C launching on April 6, 1984. His next mission was as pilot of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L, January 28, 1986.

That morning I watched the unbelievable launch from the Embry-Riddle campus. Sadly, I have reflected on Scobee's words many times in the years since. The autographed photo of Scobee in my office is still one of my most treasured possessions.

Scobee has been quoted by the Challenger Center as saying, "When you find something you really like to do, and you're willing to risk the consequences of that, you really probably out to go do it." How true.

-- Phyllis Salmons, Daytona Beach

Court reporter couldn't fight tears

As a court reporter working in the Volusia County Courthouse Annex, I was recording the proceedings in a civil nonjury trial. While a witness was on the stand testifying, the courtroom doors burst open and an attorney ran in and shouted, "The Challenger exploded!" Time stood still for a few moments before the examining attorney resumed his questioning and the witness resumed answering.

Although trained to maintain a face that showed no emotion, I could not stop the tears pouring from my eyes as I continued to record words that registered only on the paper. Finally the judge mercifully said, "Let's take a recess."

-- Lynda Lasseter

Heart saddened about more death

On January 28, 1986, I was on leave from Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas, home of the first B1B Bomber. My father had passed away and we funeralized him on January 26, 1986. I had been stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, Brevard County and had witnessed shuttle launches both night and day time.

As I was standing outside my mother's home in New Smyrna Beach to watch the Challenger launch, I noticed that something was terribly wrong. The launches I had observed never had that much fire and smoke. As I was taking pictures of the launch, I noticed the rockets that are usually attached to the shuttle fuel tank flying separately and in circles.

Being in military service, my heart cringed because all I could think of was "suppose these rockets land on a town, it was going to be a bad situation." I also was thinking that the Challenger had undocked and was probably coming in for an emergency landing at the Cape.

Well, the rockets were destroyed in the air, thank God, but the shuttle was lost. My heart was already very saddened because of my father's death, and then there was more death.

Every year when the subject comes up, it automatically reminds me of my father's death and the death of those brave astronauts that day.

-- John Canady, .

Images still burn in couple's mind

My wife and I were moving into the new log home that we had just completed building on Division Avenue in Ormond Beach. We were excited at the opportunity to watch the Challenger launch from our front porch. It was chilly that morning but not cold. We had very clear weather that day. Our routine was to watch the liftoff on TV and than go outside.

I'll never forget the explosion we saw that day. Watching in horror as that beautiful, perfect launch burst into hundreds, if not thousands of pieces and crash to earth. To this day I can not view the reruns of that disaster. The only other tragedy I cannot re-watch is the assination of President Kennedy, his brother, and Martin Luther King.

Living history has a way of burning images in your mind.

-- Joe and Madalyn Dougherty, Ormond Beach

Teachers dream of lessons from space

I don't believe I fully understood the phrase "etched in my mind" until January 28, 1986, the day the Space Shuttle Challenger was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. I was teaching first grade at Sugar Mill Elementary in Port Orange.

My students, like so many others, had eagerly followed the selection, training and promised lessons from space of Christa McAuliffe she was the cover story of the Weekly Reader, and prominently featured on our current events bulletin board.

Every grade in our school and all staff members had emptied the buildings to stand together, looking toward the southeast and waiting for that rising "star" followed by its unmistakable vapor trail. Our media specialist was monitoring from inside and countdown was broadcast over the intercoms. We all cheered when liftoff was announced, watching the bright fireball ascend into a clear, blue Florida sky.

Seconds later, that fireball erupted, and the kids cheered, thinking it was part of the launch. Within minutes, we could see jets scrambling toward the area.

Our media specialist walked toward us with tears streaming down her face, quietly whispering what we already knew there would be no lessons from space. Silently, we walked back to our classrooms, where I attempted to explain to my students what they had just witnessed. Most stared at me, their faces blank with the exception of one optimistic little soul who assured us that the astronauts would have been able to parachute out and were probably getting picked up out of the water at that moment, if only.

In the 25 years since that day I have watched many shuttle launches, often with students. Each time the rumbling starts and the orange fireball begins its ascent, my heart beats a bit faster. I find myself holding my breath, saying a silent prayer, watching until the boosters fall away and the shuttle finally vanishes into the clouds.

Etched in my mind, however, is the memory of the Challenger, the children I was with that morning, and a teacher who dreamed of lessons from space.

-- Heidi Stephens, Port Orange

Teacher still thankful for legacy

I was teaching kindergarten in Kansas City when I heard about the Challenger. In those days, news didn't travel through a school as quickly as it does now so I didn't know about the accident until I went to lunch at 11:30. Needless to say, I raced to the library (that's where the TVs were kept in 1986) and watched as much coverage as I could until I had to pick up my students.

I remember walking into the teachers lounge and taking down the teacher in space poster that was hanging there honoring Christa McAuliffe and trying to keep my emotions in check for my afternoon group. I* talked to my parents that evening (they lived in Ponce Inlet and had watched the liftoff and subsequent disaster from their deck) and they, too, were quite upset.

Later, as a third-grade and sixth-grade teacher I would go through the training for the Challenger Learning Centers which sprang up all over the U.S and Canada spearheaded by Commander Dick Scobee's wife, June, to honor the fallen crew.

I spent the next 17 years making sure that my students knew about the history of the Challenger crew and the sacrifice they made. Eight weeks every year were devoted to learning about space and the Shuttle program and preparing my students for their turn to "go into space" at the Challenger Learning Center in Kansas City where they worked as Mission Controllers and Spacecraft astronauts in a simulated mission. My students always said it was their favorite experience.

I still have Christa's poster and will be forever thankful for the legacy she and the Challenger crew left behind.

-- Jan Hatridge, Ponce Inlet

Student witness father's death

I remember sitting in my algebra class in high school, watching the launch that morning. In my class was Allison Smith, daughter of Mike Smith, I think he was the skipper of the flight. Everybody in class was excited, cheering and hooting out of pride and all of a sudden, the explosion. It looked like a bunch of smoke but ended up being catastrophic as the engines went their separate ways, the tank explodes and the rest we remember.

The silence right then and there was deafening. The entire school was silent. You could hear kids and teachers crying. Allison had a look that was unspeakable. She just witnessed the death of her father and fellow astronauts. Ron McNair was my neighbor; he lived behind our house in Taylorcrest, Seabrook, TX. I didn't know him well but I knew he was an astronaut. Growing up in Clear Lake, where Johnson SC is, is all about space.

Like here in Florida. We take pride in the space program and the city shows it.

That day was a day I'll never forget either. All my thoughts were with the families and still to this day, I think about that flight and how far we've progressed in the industry. I just wanted to share a moment of history from that day with kids of the astronauts. God Speed to our astronauts.

-- Tony Scruggs, Clear Lake

Tragedy imbedded in their memory

My daughter Tammy and I were visiting my cousins, John and Scotty Craig, who live outside of Osteen, Florida. On the afternoon of Jan. 28 just as we got there, John said, "let's go, they are getting ready to shoot up the shuttle right now."

As the launch was starting John said something is wrong and went inside to see what happened. He came back out and said the shuttle blew up. They have seen every launch so he knew this was different. It was a sickening feeling to see it unfold watching my first launch. Judy Resnick was from Akron, Ohio and according to my wife Bea they had an earthquake here at the exact time they were having a memorial service for Judy in downtown Akron. Two years later to the day, our daughter Tammy gave birth to a baby girl on Jan. 28, 1988.

There are so many coincidences that this will always be imbedded in our memory. And of course it will always be remembered on our grand daughter Tiffany's birthday. I am happy to contribute to the 25th anniversary of the shuttle disaster something none of us will ever forget.

-- Joel Beswetherick, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Dream of Challenger Haunts

I was living in Altamonte Springs and pregnant with my first child. I remember starting to watch the launch on TV and then ran outside to see it. Whereas I couldn't see the actual explosion, I saw the exhaust make a funny trail that I knew was not right. Puzzled, I went in to watch the TV coverage to see what was going on. Of course, like everyone else I was glued to my TV and hoping that the astronauts would be found alive.

That night I had a dream that I heard banging on my sliding-glass door. In my dream, I went to the living room and found an astronaut in full gear, barely alive, needing help. Haunts me to this day.

-- June C. Miller, Daytona Beach

"Our heroes were gone"

My son, Justin, who is now 24, was put down for his nap. He was just a little infant. I went outside in the backyard and looked up to the sky. As I listened to the countdown on the radio, about 5 seconds after lift off I had a clear view right in front of me.

I watched in amazement and had a sense of pride to be an American. Than a trail of thick white smoke seemed to go into two opposite directions, like a capital Y. I wondered if the unthinkable could have happened. As I heard the announcer's voice change on the radio to a confused somber tone, I knew it was true. Our heroes were gone.

-- Daniel and Donna Wendling, Daytona Beach

Public show of sympathy

In midJanuary 1986, I had the opportunity to visit Russia while attending a trade show in Moscow called Sport 86. I was representing the Nautilus Corporation, Lake Helen, and was one of only six vendors outside the Communist Bloc.

At that time, I was the only visible American in Moscow. I did not have much of a display, due to restrictions getting into Russia at that time. So I borrowed a large American flag from out of the embassy. That flag was used as a backdrop for the booth and drew much attention from the attendees.

Later in the week, I was told of the tragic events that had happened back in Florida from one of the embassy staff. Soon there were lines of people showing up at the booth in a public show of sympathy. A large black sash was attached to the flag and ran diagonal across the front. I was visited by dignitaries in Moscow and many tears were shed those next few days from people that understood our loss.

I will never forget the depth of sincerity and concern on the faces of these people and their need to comfort alone in American in their country.

-- Tom Laputka, Orange City

Students show horror

I was working in the guidance office of a middle school in State College, Penn. A science teacher invited me to watch the launch on a TV in the classroom. I will never forget the horror these ninth grade students showed as we witnessed this terrible tragedy live.

-- Valerie Chubb, State College, PA

Challenger changed lives

In January 1986 I lived in Boca Raton. I was working in an Insurance office and the next room had a radio. Our co-worker was a young man who listened to music and liked to joke around. We knew that Challenger was to launch that morning. All of a sudden, he ran into the room to say Challenger crashed. Hard to tell you now why we laughed, but we thought he was joking.

After that we all listened more intently to the radio. We all ran outside and saw something. It changed our view of the space program and our lives. When I moved to Daytona three months later, I always watched the launches.

-- Jeanne Lindberg, Boca Raton

Teacher traumatized

I lived in New Jersey then, but having been a young teacher who considered applying for the mission, I had a traumatic reaction to the event, as did so many.

-- Carole White, Ormond Beach

A cold day to remember

On January 25, 1986, my brother Richard passed away at the age of 47. Richard retired from the Navy and later worked as an instructor.

We buried him on Jan. 28, the day the Challenger blew up. I remember it was a freezing, cold day.

-- Helen King

Disaster close to home

In 1959 my grandmother and grandfather moved to Florida from a small farm town in Iowa. Our visits to Florida began quickly. Our visits coincided with President Kennedy's desire to see a man on the moon and a constant need by our country to be first when it came to all things in space. When I was a young boy we saw many early rocket launches.

Later on in life, my work took me to California and I will never forget that exact place that I heard the news of the Challenger disaster, just a few blocks from my house. I turned around and went home and cried with the rest of a heartbroken nation.

-- Kraig Swinburne, Ormond Beach

Technician knew something was wrong

I was working for Lockheed Space Operations as a video technician and my job during launch was to operate the camera on the roof of the VAB building. On Jan. 27 I was at my camera and I was wearing a snowmobile suit that I had borrowed from a co-worker. At 525 feet altitude and with a brisk wind, I was still chilly even under all of the layers.

At one point, I heard through my headphones from the technical director asking me if I knew what to do if the Shuttle were to explode. I responded negative, and the TD's reply was "keep your camera on the main part of the wreckage", or words to that effect.

My shift ended and my replacement took over for me. I passed this information along to my co-worker who in fact did a commendable job capturing video that would be seen thousands of times and later used for investigations. The next morning I watched the liftoff from home and I knew immediately what went wrong even though the TV correspondent took some time to comprehend it.

-- Rob Chambers, Orlando

Remembering that awful day

When Challenger took off 25 years ago, I was in a hearing in my chambers at the Courthouse Annex on City Island. Most of the hearing rooms in that building have tall windows and wonderful views of the Halifax River and the coast of Florida for many miles either north or south. My windows faced south towards Cape Canaveral.

Rachel Weimer, our court administrator, came rushing into the room pointing to the window and excitedly saying, "Something has gone terribly wrong with the shuttle!" We all turned to look, just in time to see the shuttle and its booster breaking apart and falling towards the ocean.

No one spoke for a long time. We finished the hearing late and in an atmosphere of gloom.

That January 28 was an awful day that I remember just like I remember the day President Kennedy was assassinated and the day the World Trade Center was attacked.

-- McFerrin Smith, DeLand

Couple witnesses launch from beach

Before Challenger, my husband and I had watched shuttle launches on television but we decided ahead of time that we would watch the Challenger launch live from the beach. We followed news announcements of delays for a couple of days but on Jan. 28, all things were "go." We lived one and a half blocks from the ocean in Ormond Beach, so after dressing for the bitter cold we drove up State Road A1A for a couple of minutes to public parking near the beach

We went out on the frigid beach and realized that it was so "old hat" that no one else had braved the extreme weather. The beach was empty. Because it was delayed for an hour we had to go home and come back again.

This time permanent memories were etched in our souls. The sky was a beautiful dark blue. We were shivering in the freezing air. The beach was totally deserted except for two people barely visible a quarter mile south of us. As we watched the southern skyline, it looked as though a match had been lit on the horizon and an upward yellowish white line confirmed that the Challenger had been launched. We watched as it climbed higher in the sky and its white contrail widened. Then the white trail suddenly grew larger and split.

Since we had never seen a launch in person before we assumed they were jettisoning some starting rocket power. So we watched in wonderment at its beauty assuming a small shuttle, too small to see with the naked eye, was continuing on. Then a woman came out on her second floor balcony and yelled down to us "The Challenger has blown up!"

-- Sally Clark, Ormond Beach

A moment they won't forget

On Jan 28, my agriscience students and I were walking from our classroom at DeLand Junior-Middle School to our land laboratory located at the school. I told them were on time to watch Christa McAuliffe and the other astronauts launch from Cape Kennedy. Christa was a teacher from my home State of New Hampshire and it was exciting to have a teacher on such an important mission. Her experiments were going to be sent to teachers to learn about the importance of science to all students around the world.

As we looked in the sky, I stated to the students that there was something wrong because this launch was different from others I had watched. At the halfway point, the shuttle was breaking apart. We continued to watch and saw the smoke and objects falling from the sky, I told the students let's return to the classroom and watch the TV telecast to get more information. I also called the administration of the school to report what we saw.

To our surprise, the TV coverage was not reporting the incident for over 20 minutes. It was then that we learned the shuttle had exploded. The cold weather and the seals had failed, we later learned.

The students were shocked at this failure and loss of lives. It was a moment in time that they will never forget.

-- Gene Dulac, DeLand

Friends were excited for the launch

I was a 1985 transplant to Daytona Beach. My boyfriend at the time and his buddy were heading to Florida from Virginia to visit me. We had planned a trip to the Keys and, after their arrival, we packed up the car and headed south. We decided on a whim we should stop and watch the Challenger launch. It was something I encouraged, being a proud new Floridian. I had seen a shuttle launch from the beach in Daytona, but never one up close. They agreed, and we found our way to the best viewing point at the Cape.

It was cold. It was extremely cold. There were delays, but we were there and we were all excited about the launch. We waited and waited. Finally, the moment came. I remember everyone around us standing outside their cars, radios blaring, looking to the sky. When it became obvious that there had been a tragedy, the crowd was forced to get in their cars and leave. We headed to the Keys as we had originally planned, driving in painful silence.

I will never forget that white Y-shaped cloud plume high in the sky, seemingly following us for a hundred miles or more. No one said a word for a very long time. Finally, our friend, Reid, broke the incredible tension and sadness with a quote I will never forget. He said, "Life is just one damn thing after another." It got us talking and dealing with the tragedy we had witnessed together.

-- Vanessa Elliott, Daytona Beach

Daughter views tragedy

I grew up in Titusville, FL (Space Capitol of the World). I have seen just about everything that Kennedy Space Center has launched, from the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, weather/communications satellites to the Space Shuttle. My late father, Walter Kollosch, used to work at Martin Marietta who had a contract with the Air Force. During the Shuttle programs, the Air Force would give out vehicle passes to their employees, which they could use for their family or give away. I would take advantage of those passes and wanted to share the experience of the Space Center and the launches with out-of-town visitors.

I would borrow my parent's station wagon and drive up and down U.S.1 in Titusville looking at license plates to find people who traveled a great distance to watch the launch. Once I found a group, I would talk to them and try to convince them to join me to view the launch. While I would occasionally get a no from those afraid to lose their space along the river I would always find someone willing to come. I continued this practice for over a dozen launches. Then something changed.

For some reason, after I awoke on that cold morning, I really didn't feel like going out along U.S.1 to find others to take with me. Maybe it was the cold weather or maybe it was something else, whatever it was I decided to go it alone. I left alone to go wait out the launch at the Air Force viewing site, which was located directly to the south of Launch Pad 39B, a perfect view and about five miles away.

The launch of Challenger was like all the others, until that moment. If you had seen a launch in person before you knew right away that something terrible had just happened. I'm sure I must have had a look of disbelief on my face when the solid rocket boosters suddenly broke off into different directions.

I remember somebody close by saying "Oh that's what it looks like when the solid rocket boosters come off." I remember turning to tell them "It doesn't look like that and it's way too soon."

All along in the background the speakers were still giving out information about the launch, altitude, speed, etc. I hesitated for a second and said, "The shuttle blew up." No sooner that I said those words you could hear the announcement that an obvious malfunction had occurred. Disbelief, a few murmurs, shock, anger, and silence; I witnessed all that from the crowd.

The drive back to Titusville had me turning into the radio for information until I could finally get back home to watch the event unfold on TV. Things changed after that, the Air Force decided that their viewing area was too close to the launch areas in the event of another accident so they canceled the passes after that.

After the program restarted I was able for awhile to get NASA passes to start taking people back out again. I continued to do that until my source of the passes stopped working for the Space Center. I always enjoyed taking visitors out to view the launches up close and personal. The look on their faces when the sound wave came across the river and hit them was priceless and I enjoyed giving them a memory that they would never forget.

I don't regret not taking out any visitors out that day, that was one memory that they didn't need up close.

-- Gloria Kollosch, Titusville

The saddest experience

On that day, under a cold and blue sky, I was teaching at the Bicentennial Youth Park in a class on Florida ecology and natural processes. The morning was fun but ended with the sighting of the strange, shape of clouds and fire that shown off to the southeast.

We all moved back into the teaching pavilion and sat listening to a news report on TV. I remember that we were all upset and we all prayed together for those that were on the shuttle.

It was soon apparent that they had all died. The sadness and tears of children and adults who had seen the shuttle dissolve into clouds, and fire was thick and heavy as the children boarded their bus to go back to school.

In my time of teaching children, it was the saddest and most human time I ever experienced.

-- Hugh Strickland, Orange City

Father and daughter witness disaster

Twenty-five years ago I was 23 years old and living in Merrit Island. When the shuttle would go off, our windows would rattle and we would watch it from our backyard. I was working at Strom Products where we made doors for Bayliner Boats. I occasionally would go home for lunch and on that day I went home to watch the shuttle with my father.

We stood in the back yard and instead of seeing one stream of smoke we saw three and knew immediately that it had exploded. My father kept saying, "Oh my God!" and then he began to cry. We held each other knowing lives had been lost. I have only felt that way one other time in my life and that was when the twin towers were hit. You feel and know that your whole country will be changed in that very moment forever.

-- Eva Stallard, DeLand

Student now prays for every launch

I remember the Challenger accident was the only shuttle I never watched go up. I was at lunch at Silver Sands Junior High (years before it became a middle school). My friends and I usually sat outside and I remember some one running out of the cafeteria yelling that the shuttle blew up. I though at first it was a joke until we looked up and saw the smoke trail.

We ran into the cafeteria and looked at the TVs that werer showing the shuttle going up and seeing the replays of the explosion. I remember a lot of the kids started crying and the teachers running over and shutting off the TVs. Then we were all told to go to homeroom. I think that was the only time no one talked for the rest of the school day.

I decided to watch every shuttle from then on just to give a prayer for the crew.

-- Ron Howard, Port Orange

Counselor was shocked at the news

I was at Oviedo High School as a guidance counselor walking through the commons during one of the lunch periods when some of the kids asked me if I knew about the shuttle exploding. "What," I said. "Are you serious? That's nothing to joke about." They said that it was true. I immediately went to the library and sure enough the TV was on and everyone was around it watching this horrific tragedy.

-- Mary Lee Miller, New Smyrna Beach

Christa McAuliffe lesson plans are treasured

I was teaching third grade back in Maryland in 1986. I was thrilled that a teacher had finally been chosen to be a part of space history. I had received a copy of the lessons that Christa McAuliffe would be teaching in space. My students thought it was cool that they would be able to participate in some of her space lessons. All of us were so excited as we watched the shuttle launch on TV.

When the explosion happened, I knew something tragic had happened. Then the cameras turned to the spouses and parents in the stands and their faces showing disbelief. That is when it really hit home that this was indeed a terrible accident that we had just witnessed. My students had lots of questions about the astronauts being okay. I turned off the TV and told them that we would have to wait to hear what the evening news had to tell us.

Those lesson plans are still a part of my treasured possessions from my 25 years of teaching. I've also had the privilege to be a space educator at Kennedy Space Center for 3 years to share Challenger's story and the story of so many others that have been willing to be space pioneers, explorers and heroes.

-- Pam Crowell, Port Orange

Most memorable day for teacher

The day of the Challenger crisis was my most memorable day of my 32 years of teaching. Like many people my age, I became fascinated with space exploration as I followed the Gemini and Apollo missions as I listened to John F. Kennedy's goals in that area, and as I watched the moon landing on television.

I later reached my goal of becoming a teacher and moved to Florida soon afterward where I became even more intrigued witnessing the take-off view in the sky and hearing the sound of landing. I started cutting out newspaper articles to track the shuttle missions and made a huge poster-sized space book (which I still have today -- I can't seem to part with it) to share with my students.

I had been preparing my kindergarten class for months and gearing up for the teacher in space mission. As we were watching outside, I knew right away that something was wrong and we came inside to watch the news. I was usually the one comforting, supporting, encouraging, and guiding my students, but that day, the roles were reversed. Twenty-four 5-year-olds enveloped me and hugged me.

Something else unusual happened that day. No one worried about who was first in line, no one grabbed someone else's toy, and no one teased or said hurtful things to another. It was hard for me to gain my composure that day and I didn't do much teaching of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but there were a lot of lessons learned that day. We learned about the cycle of life, trials and tribulations of discovery and exploration, about not giving up on dreams and goals, about the American spirit, and appreciating our moments with each other.

As we left school that day, everyone left with a little more kindness and gratitude in our hearts and I think everyone of my students and me got an extra hug that night!

-- Rhonda Carper, Port Orange

Remember the other six

I remember exactly what I was doing when the Challenger exploded. I was running an F-5 training center for GE Aerospace in Tempe, Ariz. The Challenger was a very tragic event but what has been more tragic is the fact that the Challenger explosion is always referred to as "the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger and the deaths of Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, and six other astronauts".

These six other astronauts had names, families and loved ones. I venture to say that very few of us could name the other six astronauts but we certainly should: Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Gregory B. Jarvis.

I think it is time to refer to the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle and the loss of seven brave American astronauts.

-- Fran Markettte, Port Orange

Day of disaster

Twenty-five years ago, I was with my fourth-period biology class at New Smyrna Beach Middle School watching the launch outside the media center. It was a crisp blue sky that spelled out disaster that we will never forget.

-- Margaret M. Hughes, New Smyrna

School named after former student

On Jan. 28, 1986, I worked as a guidance counselor at Frankfort-Schuyler Central School in central New York. That morning students and teachers gathered around television sets throughout the school to watch the launch of the Challenger space shuttle. We were especially interested because one of the astronauts, Greg Jarvis, was a graduate of nearby Mohawk Central School. Greg was also a former student of mine when I was employed as an English teacher at Mohawk Central School during the late 1950s. Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, was also on board, so this was an added plus for faculty members.

It was quiet in our school library as we watched the launch of the "Challenger". The quiet was soon interrupted by gasps of disbelief when the "Challenger" exploded. We were stunned. We waited to hear that somehow the astronauts had lived through this, but that was not the case.

As we left the library, we were in a state of shock from what we had just witnessed. It was difficult to return to classrooms to assume our normal routine. As I sat in my office, I could only think of Greg, the bright young honor student who had achieved so much in his short life and Christa, the teacher, wife, and mother who represented all teachers on that flight.

Now, 25 years later, images of that fateful day return as they do on each anniversary. In those years since, Mohawk Central School has been renamed "Gregory Jarvis Jr./Sr. High School" and several memorial parks have been built throughout the Mohawk Valley in memory of all seven astronauts.

-- Gloria Migliore Falzarano, Ormond Beach

"The world still mourns"

I will never forget where I was during the Challenger shuttle explosion - 6th grade, Germantown Elementary School in Germantown, Tenn. It was a cold day outside and my sweater was itchy. Mrs. Herring was my teacher, and we were afraid to ask if she would let us watch the shuttle launch because she was so strict. Finally, Sarah plucked up the nerve to ask and was completely surprised to hear Mrs. Herring say yes.

We all cheered when the countdown reached one; we all gasped as the shuttle took off into the clear blue Florida sky and we all froze when it exploded. A boy in our class, Neal, asked, "What just happened?" but nobody could answer. As the announcers tried to explain that the shuttle had exploded, the other kids in my class and I were reminded that there were astronauts with families on board the shuttle and that they would never again come home to their families. At 12, we were too young to realize the impact of what had just happened.

I was not too young, however, one morning in early 2003; I was shopping at Wal-Mart and a fellow customer said in passing that the space shuttle Columbia had exploded upon reentering the atmosphere and would not be returning to Earth. I remembered the day the Challenger exploded as well, and I once again thought about those astronauts' families that would never see their loved ones again. This time I knew the impact and this time it was much harder to take in.

The world still mourns these astronauts that have given their lives. May we never forget their sacrifice.

-- Carrie Rosolino, Port Orange

Explosion burned into memory

I was a 12-year-old living in Rossville Ga. School had been shut down that day because of the frigid temperatures. I was lying in my parent's bed eating potato chips, watching TV and waiting for the shuttle lift off. My parents were outside trying to thaw out our pipes, which had frozen. I remember Walter Cronkite talking about the teacher that was going up and being the first civilian to ride the shuttle. I thought she was so lucky to be going into space. At 12 years old, I could only imagine the excitement she was feeling.

The countdown started and the engines began to fire. I was always one who loved watching the engine rock as they fired. Then the countdown hit zero and they were off. The camera showed Christa's parents watching as the shuttle blasted upward. I remember how proud they looked. The camera went back to the shuttle as it was speeding away from earth, gaining speed with every second.

And then, a ball of fire appeared where the Challenger had just been, parts separating in all directions. I was stunned, what happened? Did it just blow up? No, it had to be something else. No, the Challenger was gone with only smoke where it had just been speeding toward space. How could this happen? The camera turned back to Christa's parents and I can still see the shocked, disbelief look they had. No one comprehended what had happened.

The next moment, I remember Walter Cronkite was on the screen, the look on his face was unforgettable. Such shock, such sorrow. He said, "Challenger has exploded", turned and looked at the clock on the wall and gave the time. His voice was quivering.

I remember it so clearly. That was when I found my legs, jumped out of bed and went running out the door screaming at my parent's the shuttle had just exploded. They stopped what they were doing and ran inside. We remained around the TV together, all evening trying to digest what had just happened.

People remember where they were when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. My parents do. People remember where they were when Robert Kennedy was assassinated. My parents do. There are things that happen in our lifetimes that are burned into our memory. The Challenger explosion was my first.

-- Melissa Faulkner, Rossville, Ga.

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